


Saber Art Online

by hannibal_rises



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Sword Art Online
Genre: Crossover, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-29
Packaged: 2018-04-10 01:29:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4371923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannibal_rises/pseuds/hannibal_rises
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan had gotten to be one of the few Beta testers for the newest MMORPG, which was going online in only a few minutes. Saber Art Online. Everything in him itched to go back, return to the world he could have meaning, and it was almost time.<br/>Laying out on his bed, Obi-Wan pulled the Nerve Gear over his head and signed on.<br/>[Character Registration: Use Beta-Test data? Kenobi(M)]<br/>[YES] [NO]<br/>[Welcome to Saber Art Online!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The World of Swords

**Author's Note:**

> So, I do these for almost every fandom I ever get in bu this is the one that is actually getting published.  
> Note that while there's a big sign saying that Obi is cast as Kirito, but in reality he's a blend of Kirito and Asuna, so is Qui-Gon.

 

“Hey! I'm off to practice, okay?” Obi-Wan looked up to the clock when he heard Anakin's voice. Ah. Almost time.

Without responding to his younger brother, who he was sure was already out the door anyway, Obi-Wan stood up and stretched, putting his papercut finger between his lips to ease it's sting. He had been looking forward to this moment for weeks now. Obi-Wan had gotten to be one of the few Beta testers for the newest MMORPG, which was going online in only a few minutes. Saber Art Online. Everything in him itched to go back, return to the world he could have meaning, and it was almost time.

Laying out on his bed, Obi-Wan pulled the Nerve Gear over his head and signed on.

[Character Registration: Use Beta-Test data? Kenobi(M)]

 **[YES]** [NO]

[Welcome to Saber Art Online!]

The world was slightly out of focus as his senses loaded through the nerve gear. Once the town fully loaded around him, his lips split into a grin. His avatar was still the same tall, black haired male it had been in the beta test, and the feeling of nostalgia filled him. Almost like coming home.

Obi-Wan allowed himself to look around the safe zone of the first floor for a few minutes, just to reacquaint himself with the game before he ran off through the square. Turning into an alley, he heard someone call out to him, startling enough to have him pause and turn to look at the stranger. “Yes?” He asked the dark haired man who practically doubled over panting from chasing him.

“You seem to know where you're going; you're a beta tester, weren't you?” The man asked through deep breaths, looking up to Obi-Wan with a grin.

“Yes..?” Obi-Wan repeated, tilting his head slightly.

“Wizard! Today's my first day, so could you give me some tips on the lower floors?”

“Yeah I don't know if...”

“Aw, please? I'm begging you!” The man gripped Obi-Wan's shoulders, large brown eyes boring into his, and as if seeing Obi-Wan's resolve crumble, he introduced himself. “I'm Garen.”

With a heavy sigh, Obi-Wan looked away, a smile forming on his lips. Whoever this Garen was, he was charismatic. “Alright, I'm Kenobi.”

  


Garen flew back as the boar slammed into him, doubling over and clutching his stomach. “Oh come on.” Obi-Wan said dryly, a small smile teasing his lips. “You can't feel any pain.”  
Garen fell silent for a moment before blinking and uncurling. “Oh. Yeah, you're right. Sorry. Habit.” And Obi-Wan had to keep himself from asking if he got hit in the stomach often.

“Remember what I told you; the first move is the most important.” As Obi-Wan spoke, he took a few steps to Garen's side and rest a hand on his shoulder. “If your initial motion is right, and you activate a sword skill at the right time, the system almost guarantees that you'll hit your target.” He explained, picking up a rock and throwing it with an activated sword skill. The rock hit the boar like a proper attack.

“Here's a better way to look at it. Right after you start your move wait until you feel the skill start to activate, then drive it home.” He continued, sidestepping as the boar charged him, turning it around toward Garen, who stared, wide eyed, at the boar for a moment before gripping his blade and attacking, the boar exploding into pixels and it's score appearing.

“Oh yeah!” Garen cheered, putting his hand up for a high five, grinning wider when Obi-Wan humored him.

“That was nice, but that boar's about as weak as slime are in other games.” Obi-Wan admitted, putting his sword back on his hip.

Garen let out a thoughtful hum before it fell into a noise of pure excitement as his blade leveled up.

"Addicting, isn't it?” Obi-Wan said with a smile.

“Oh yeah.” Garen confirmed, testing the sword in a very straight-forward manner. Something that easily gave away the man's attack style of blundering in head first. For some reason, Obi-Wan thought it fit him perfectly. “So these skills, there's a lot of them, like blacksmithing and such, right?”

“Yep. I've heard that the game has an unlimited number of them; all except magic.” Obi-Wan said, looking up at the sky. The coding that went into the game's scenery was... awe inspiring.

“An RPG without magic? That's a bold decision.” Garen commented, testing out an attack and grinning widely.

Obi-Wan looked at his new friend and smiled. “So what do you think? Ready to move on?”

“Of course.”

  


“When I look around it's so hard to believe we're in a game...” Garen said, laying back in the grass and staring up at the sunset. They had spent the day level grinding and teaching Garen the general controls, but there came a point where even Garen had to stop and watch the scenery. “Whoever made it is a genius. Makes me almost glad this was my first full dive.”

“Never used nerve gear before today?” Obi-Wan asked, looking down at his lounging friend.

“Yeah. As soon as I had all the money together I rushed out and bought all the gear to be able to play SAO. Stood in line and got one of the 10,000 hard copies and everything. I was pretty lucky, but you? You got to beta test it!” Garen grinned, looking up at Obi-Wan. “Only 2,000 people got the chance!”

“Yeah, I guess I was lucky...” Obi-Wan said, rubbing his chin and looking back to the strokes of yellow, orange and purple in the skyline.

“Mind if I ask how far you got?”

“Two months and I couldn't get farther than floor eight.” Obi-Wan admitted, almost missing the scruff he had been growing to keep himself from looking as young as his little brother. Maybe he should have put some on his avatar... “But now I think I can get there within a month. At the longest.”

“Sounds to me like you're really into this.” Garen teased, sitting up in the grass and letting his eyes scan over Obi-Wan.

“Maybe. But in this world... a single blade can take you anywhere you want to go. “ Obi-Wan stated, putting his hands on his hips. “Anyway, do you want to go and do some more hunting?”

“Sure! But... I'm really hungry...” Garen admitted, dropping his head and placing a hand on his stomach. “I need to log out and get something to eat.”

“Too bad virtual food doesn't feed real hunger.” Obi-Wan teased, watching as Garen stood.

“That's why I ordered a pizza for 17:30!” Garen announced proudly. “I was going to meet up with some people from another game in about an hour. If you're not doing anything I was thinking maybe...” Obi-Wan couldn't help but raise his brow and smile, but he knew it didn't reach his eyes. “It's no problem if you don't want to, though. We could always do it another time.”

“Sorry, thanks anyway.” Obi-Wan said, smiling softly at the man.

“Oh no, I should be thanking you.” Garen said, grinning. “I swear one of these days I'll pay you back, sexually or no.” That managed to pull a laugh out of Obi-Wan. “No, but really, thank you.” Garen offered his hand to Obi-Wan.

Obi shook Garen's hand, and smiled. “If there's anything else you need to know just message me, okay?”

“I'll do that.” Garen said, turning and bringing up his settings and frowning. “Wait... where'd the Log Out button go?”

“It should be there.” Obi-Wan said, stepping next to Garen and bringing up his own menu. “At the bottom... what?”

Just as Garen said, the log out button was missing. “Well, it's the first day out of beta so there's bound to be some glitches, right? I mean, the server people have to be freaking out right now.” He said, laughing in a way that Obi-Wan knew was to drown out the stress. He had found himself making that same laugh far too often.

“Yeah, and you will too. Look. It's 17:25.”

Garen blinked a few times before groaning. “My pizza...”

“Why don't you just contact the Game Master?” Obi-Wan suggested, resting one hand on his hip while the other rubbed his chin.

“Yeah, I tried that, but he's not picking up... Is there another way to log out?”

Obi-Wan's brows furrowed as he stared at his menu. “No... the only way to log out of SAO is from the menu...” Something wasn't right, something was very... not right. “There was no emergency log out in the manual either.”

“Then I can just... take off the nerve gear, right?” Garen was getting clearly tense, eyes darting around them as if he were in physical danger.

“Once you're logged in there's no way to move your body in the real world.” Obi-Wan said with a sigh, face turning downright grim. This sort of thing didn't just happen. “The interface in the rig negates all physical movement you make in the game.”

Garen just stared at him. “Seriously? So now we just wait until someone fixes the bug?”

“That or until someone in the real world takes the nerve gear off us.” Obi-Wan agreed.

“I live alone.” Garen said, eyes wide. “What about you?”

“I have a step-mom and a brother and they will probably notice if I don't make dinner.”

“Wait, you have a brother? How old is he?” Garen wiggled his eyebrows, ignoring Obi-Wan's unamused expression.

“Get serious. If we can't log out it's going to cause some serious problems for the game. If the developers knew what's happening they could shut down the server and log everyone out, but why haven't they made an announcement?” Obi-Wan asked, practically glaring at the ground in thought.

Almost as if on que, announcement bells began ringing and suddenly they were in the courtyard. “Someone forced a teleport?” Obi-Wan looked around at the huge crowd as everyone started talking at once, at least until red warning signs spread across the sky.

A holo flickered into sight with what looked like lightning from which a hooded figure took form. “Attention players! I welcome you to my world. I am Dooku Tyrranus, and as of this moment, I am in control of this world.”

“Wait... isn't that the guy who created the game?” Garen asked, glancing over to Obi-Wan, who didn't look away from the hooded figure. The way Obi-Wan stared was more than enough to turn Garen's attention back to the holo of Dooku.

“Some of you may have already noticed an item missing from your main menu; the log out button. Let me assure you that this is not a defect in the game. I repeat; this is not a defect. This is how Saber Art Online was designed to be. You will not be able to log out, and no one from the outside world will be able to remove the nerve gear from your head. If anyone tries to do so the nerve gear will send a microwave into your skull, destroying your brain, and ending your life.”

The crowd gave off a universal sound of disbelief, some even trying to walk out of the courtyard, only to hit a barrier. “Do you really believe this crap?” Garen asked, looking at Obi-Wan again, this time to try to get some sort of validation. “He's got to be nuts, right Kenobi?”

“He's not.” Obi-Wan said, eyes wide with fear. “The transmitters in the head gear work just like micro-waves. If the safety is disabled it _could_ fry your brain.”

“Couldn't someone cut the power..?”

“The nerve gear has an internal battery.”

Garen's eyes widened, looking from Obi-Wan to the cloaked figure then back to Obi-Wan.

“Despite my warning, the family and friends of some players have already tried to remove their nerve gear. An unfortunate decision to say the least. As a result, the game has two hundred and thirteen less players than when it began. They have been deleted from both Coruscant, and the real world.”

“Two hundred thirteen?” Obi-Wan repeated, eyes locked on the figure. Two hundred and thirteen people were dead? Because of a game?

“As you can see, news websites from around the world have round the clock coverage of everything that is happening, including the deaths.” As Dooku spoke, screen shots of different websites flashed into the air, showing headlines and news feeds, all talking about SAO. “At this point, the threat of a nerve gear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game.”

As a video of a young girl crying at the edge of a body bag played, Obi-Wan gripped Garen's hand, eyes locked on the grieving girl. The man looked at him in surprise before he gave Obi-Wan's hand a squeeze.

“It is important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system, forever, and the nerve gear will simultaneously destroy your brain.” That was received with nothing but shock and silence. “There is only one way for a player to escape the game now. You must clear the game. Right now you are gathered on floor one, the lowest level of Coruscant. If you can clear the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may continue onto the next floor. Beat the boss on the one hundredth floor and you clear the game.”

“Even the beta testers never made it that high...” Garen yelled, anger and disbelief dripping from his voice, hand squeezing Obi-Wan's tighter.

“Last but not least, I have placed a little gift in the item box of each player. Please, have a look.”

Without a second thought, Obi-Wan opened his menu and brought up his items. “A mirror?” He spoke, selecting the mirror and grabbing it as it materialized. Blue-white light illuminated Garen next to him, and Obi-Wan called out his name, squeezing his hand to be sure his friend still existed before the light overcame him as well.

“Are you okay, Keno- Kenobi?” Garen asked, as Obi-Wan looked to him, seeing a tall dark haired man where Garen stood. While the initial avatar he had been introduced to looked relatively similar... there were a few very clear differences, including Garen's nose which had the signature mark of more than one breaks.

“Who are you?” Obi-Wan asked, looking the man over. He was sure he had been right next to Garen...

“Who am I? Who are you?” Garen asked, watching as Obi-Wan looked into the mirror in his hands.

He was... well himself. Not the tall avatar. Obi-Wan was once again short, ginger, and bearded. “Wait... is that you?” The two asked over each other, wide eyes locked together.

“Well, if nothing else, you're much better looking than your avatar.” Garen said with a strained smirk. “But... how?”

“The scan. There's a high-density recognition device inside of the nerve gear. It can see what my face looks like... But how does it know my height and body type?”

“The calibration test? When it made you pat your body, maybe?” Garen offered, taking a moment to look over Obi-Wan. It was... quite different.

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard and sighed. “That must have been how they got our physical data...”

“Right now, you're probably wondering why. Why would Dooku Tyrranus, developer of Saber Art Online, do this? Ultimately my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Saber Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design.”

Obi-Wan felt a rage he never experienced before, his fists clenching and a scowl twisting his lips. “Dooku...”

“I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial, and the official launch of Saber Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck.” And with that, the holo fizzed out and the sky cleared.

Feeling an odd dampness on his hand, Obi-Wan looked down to see the bleeding paper cut on his finger. There was a moment of shock through the crowd before people started screaming. “Garen, come on.” Obi-Wan said, his mind clearing as the barrier fell away. Gripping Garen's hand, Obi-Wan pulled him out to an alley. “I'm heading for the next village, and I want you to come with me. If what he said is true- which I'm sure it is- we'll only survive by getting as strong as possible. In an MMORPG like this, the money you can earn, the XP, once the game starts up there's only so much to go around.” He explained, pulling up a holo map. “Look, the fields around the Town of Beginnings are going to be hunted clean soon. If we head to the next village now we'll have a better chance at collecting money and points. I know all the paths we should avoid. Even if I'm only level one I can still get there easily.”

Garen simply stared at him for a long moment before looking down, a laugh finding it's way out. “But, my friends... they're back at the courtyard somewhere, and I can't leave them.”

Obi-Wan looked down thoughtfully. If it were only him and Garen they could go easily but any more? The chances were much slimmer of success.

“Sorry. I can't ask a cutie I just met to risk his life for some strangers, can I?”

“Cutie?” Obi-Wan asked dryly, brow raised.

“Get your ass to the next village. Don't worry about me, last game I played I ran a guild, and with everything you taught me? I can take care of myself.” Garen said, clasping his hand on Obi-Wan's shoulder.

Obi-Wan frowned at Garen for a moment before sighing. “If you're in a jam, message me, okay? Promise me that.”

Garen just grinned and nodded, that was, until Obi-Wan turned and started walking away. “Kenobi!” That much caused Obi-Wan to spin around and look back to Garen. “I mean it. You are a lot better looking than your avatar. I like the scruff.” Garen said lamely, smirking at his new friend.

“I have to admit...” Obi-Wan started, smiling until his eyes crinkled. “You could use a haircut.”

“Eat my ass, shortcake.” Garen said with a grin as Obi-Wan turned again and started to walk away.

Only a few steps out, Obi-Wan turned, to see Garen gone. Blinking slowly, tears slid from his eyes and soaked his scruff before he turned again.

Running out the gate of Town of Beginnings and onward, all Obi-Wan could think of was home. His family. Shmi scratching his chin and teasing him over breakfast, Anakin begging him to practice katas with him. Owen and Cleigg grinning while video chatting from abroad. Suddenly, the girl who had been crying was replaced by Anakin in his mind, and as he attacked a pixel wolf all he could think of was home. His family. He needed to survive, not for himself, but for his family. He needed to get home.

 

 


	2. Beater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan returned to the town, trying to keep an eye on his new party member. He still knew nothing about the almost abnormally tall man. “Chewie, do you know who that is?” Obi asked, standing next to the tall man, nodding to Kai'jiin.  
> Chewbacca glanced down to Obi-Wan then over to where Kai'jiin walked, still cloaked and surprisingly unobtrusive for such a tall man. “Not much, he's quiet, pretty skilled from what any of us have seen. We're not used to see him without his little shadow.”  
> “Little shadow?” Obi-Wan questioned, brow raised.  
> “Actually, he couldn't be much younger than you, but apparently they started the game together? I don't know if the kid was one of the two-hundred but one day he came back to town without the kid, he wasn't the same.” Chewbacca explained, patting Obi-Wan's back and causing the shorter man to stumble. “I need to go get more acquainted with my party, I'll see you for the raid tomorrow, yeah?”  
> “Of course.” Obi-Wan said with a small smile, clasping forearms with Chewbacca before the two parted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we meet Qui-Gon I mean Kai'jiin  
> psh no one was fooled come on

  
  


Two months, it's been two months since the game started.... and over two thousand people have died so far. No one has been able to clear floor one. The boss' layer hadn't been found even by any of the beta testers. Most people had started to resign to a life on the first floor, but finally a meeting was being held for that those willing to fight to figure out a way to find and defeat the floor one boss.

The meeting was held in what was supposed to be an old play house, guessing by the design. Most people were sitting together in a group, talking and waiting. Most were friends who had started the game together, while some were those who joined groups in the last months, and all were seemingly content. Obi-Wan knew better. He could see the way some of their eyes scanned the gathered crowd. Orange players were already popping up and everyone was on edge, trusting each other even less.

Obi-Wan sat near the back, arms crossed, and leaning back on the bench, waiting for the meeting to actually start. Since he left Garen at the start of the game, Obi-Wan drifted, not spending too much time around others.

“Well, people! Now that everyone's here, let's get started!” A man on the stage called out, gaining the attention of most of those in attendance. “First I want to thank you all for coming! I'm Syfo-Dias. I'm the one who called the meeting.”

Suddenly, Syfo-Dias grew grave, face serious. “Our party found the Boss room at the top of the tower today. We need to defeat the boss and make it to floor two, but to do so we have to tell everyone in the Town of Beginnings that it _is_ possible to beat the game! It's our duty as the most capable players here, is it not?” The small group gathered whispered amongst themselves before a few started clapping. “We need to figure out how to beat the boss, so we'll team up into parties of six. A typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor boss, so we need a raid group made up of multiple parties.”

Obi-Wan looked around the group gathered, eyes panicked. Parties of six? He didn't know anyone! Looking around quickly, he spotted a hooded player sitting on the other end of his bench and slid over to them, almost awkwardly, his beige tunic catching slightly on the stone as he moved. “You got left out as well?” Obi-Wan asked, trying to peek under the player's hood.

“Hardly.” A deep voice answered him. “Though it seems everyone is already acquainted.”

“So you're a solo too? Do you want to form a party with me?” Obi-Wan offered, watching as the hood turned toward him, and he could see a scruffy chin. At least he wasn't the only one parading around the game with facial hair. “You heard what he said, we can't beat the boss alone. It would only be for this fight.”

The figure nodded, so Obi-Wan brought up his menu, and sent a party invitation, watching as the stranger accepted it. Just over the stranger's shoulder, his lifebar and their's showed up, as well as a name next to the man's green health bar. Kai'jiin.

“Now that everyone's teamed up-” Syfo-Dias started.

“Hold on!” A man appeared behind the crowd, making nearly everyone turn as he walked to the stage. “My name's Bruck, and before we take down the boss I want to say something. We all know about the two thousand people who died so far, and some of you need to apologize to them right now!”

“Bruck. I think I know who you're referring to.” Syfo-Dias spoke up, taking a few steps toward the light blond boy. “You mean the ex beta testers, am I right?”

“Of course I mean them!” Bruck yelled, fists clenching. “The day this stupid game started the beta testers just up and vanished, right? They left all of us beginners! They got all the good hunting spots and easy quests, and they were the only ones getting stronger. This whole time they ignored us like we're nothing! I'm sure there are a bunch of them here. We should make them apologize and give us all of their money and items! How can they expect the party to trust them when they don't trust us?”

“Can I say something?” A tall, dark skinned man spoke up, walking over to Bruck. “My names Chewbacca. Bruck, right? I just want to make sure I'm understanding you here. You say the ex beta testers should be blamed for the rookies deaths because they didn't help them. And you want them to apologize and give up their winnings. Did I leave anything out?”

“No. You didn't.” Bruk snapped, glaring up at Chewbacca, face red.

Chewbacca reached into his items and held up a book. “The Item Store hands these out for free, it's a guide book. You got one, didn't you?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“You know who were handing these out? The ex beta testers.” Chewbacca practically spat before turning to the crowd. “Listen up. Everyone had equal access to this information. Even so, lots of players still died. I didn't come here to point fingers, I came here to learn from those players deaths. I'm here because I want to figure out how we're going to beat the boss.” Chewbacca continued, turning and looking down to Bruck, who scowled as he returned to his seat.

“Can we get back to the meeting now?” Syfo-Dias asked as Chewbacca sat down. “For information on the boss, it's all in the updated guide book. The boss' name is Illfang the Colbolt Lord, and he'll be surrounded by his minions. Illfang carries an axe and a buckler. He has four life bars and when the last one turns red, he changes to a curved sword-like weapon and can change his patterns of attack.” Syfo-Dias read from the guidebook before closing it and looking up to the crowd. “As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally between everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the XP, and whoever gets an item gets to keep it. Any objections?”

While there were whispers through the crowd, no one raised their voice. “We leave tomorrow at 10 o'clock. Meeting adjourned.”

  
  


Obi-Wan returned to the town, trying to keep an eye on his new party member. He still knew nothing about the almost abnormally tall man. “Chewie, do you know who that is?” Obi asked, standing next to the tall man, nodding to Kai'jiin.

Chewbacca glanced down to Obi-Wan then over to where Kai'jiin walked, still cloaked and surprisingly unobtrusive for such a tall man. “Not much, he's quiet, pretty skilled from what any of us have seen. We're not used to see him without his little shadow.”

“Little shadow?” Obi-Wan questioned, brow raised.

“Actually, he couldn't be much younger than you, but apparently they started the game together? I don't know if the kid was one of the two-hundred but one day he came back to town without the kid, he wasn't the same.” Chewbacca explained, patting Obi-Wan's back and causing the shorter man to stumble. “I need to go get more acquainted with my party, I'll see you for the raid tomorrow, yeah?”

“Of course.” Obi-Wan said with a small smile, clasping forearms with Chewbacca before the two parted.

  
  


After nightfall, Obi-Wan found Kai'jiin sitting on a short ledge, eating a bread roll with his hood still up. “Those don't taste to bad, do they?” He spoke up, sitting next to the tall, hooded man.

“Do you truly think these taste good?” Kai'jiin asked dryly, turning his head slightly toward Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan shrugged as he pulled one of his own out. “Well, considering I tend to eat at least one a day... and I do have a trick to make it taste better.”

Kai'jiin didn't speak, only continued to look at him from under his hood as Obi-Wan pulled a small jar from his items. “Try it with some of that.”

Kai'jiin didn't move for a moment before reaching over and tapping the jar and then the bread. “Cream?” Kai'jiin asked, looking over to Obi-Wan as the man took a bite of his own bread and cream before eating his own.

“I got it on a quest in the town before this one. Do you want to know how to do it?” Obi-Wan offered, leaning forward slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse under his partner's hood.

“Thank you for the offer, but I didn't come to this town for the food.”

“Well, then what are you here for?” Obi-Wan dared ask, hoping to find out as much as he could about his partner.

The man tucked his hands into his sleeves and looked down the alley. “I'm looking for someone.”

Obi-Wan blinked a few times. Well, it wasn't a rare quest for people in Coruscant. A lot of players lost track of their friends, even on the first floor. At least that mean the boy Chewie mentioned was still alive? “I don't want a party member dying on me, so try not to die tomorrow?”

Kai'jiin turned his head toward Obi-Wan, and the younger man was sure he saw a small flash of a smile.  
  
  


“So, let's go over it again.” Kai'jiin said, ignoring the way Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. “We're the back up, so our focus is the minions. “

“I know.” Obi-Wan said, glancing to his still hooded partner. If he were honest, the fact he still hadn't seen his partner's face yet was starting to bother him. “You use a sword skill to knock the weapons up and out of the way, then I switch and jump in.”

Kai'jiin's hood bobbed in a nod as Obi-Wan looked up to the abnormally tall man. He was almost as tall as Chewbacca. “How tall are you anyway?” Obi-Wan asked, frowning at the chuckle he received.

 

“Alright, everyone. I have one last thing to say.” Syfo-Dias said, standing at the door to the boss room. “Let's win.”

Obi-Wan almost smiled at that before letting himself sober as Syfo-Dias pushed open the door. Once the rooms was illuminated, Obi-Wan's first thought was that he had nearly forgotten how hideous the boss was. Like a red demon rabbit. With a single call from Syfo-Dias, the attack began, Bruck running at the lead and clashing his sword with a minion. From the back, Syfo-Dias commanded the squads with a drawn sword and determined look, the parties doing their parts as ordered.

Kai'jiin hit a minion's weapon, letting Obi-Wan switch in and attack with speed and skill well honed. They continued the fighting style, Kai'jiin's height assisting with Obi-Wan's skill until a roar drew their attention. The boss. It's fourth health bar was down to the red. Syfo-Dias ran forward, against the plan, distracting Obi-Wan even more, before the boss drew it's blade. But... it wasn't a talwhar. It as an Idachi, unlike the beta. “Stop! Get out of there!” Obi-Wan yelled, watching in horror as the Boss jumped out of the way then down to slash it's blade right across Syfo-Dias' chest, sending him flying back.

“Syfo-Dias!” Obi-Wan cried, running over to him and abandoning the battle to give him a potion. “What were you thinking?”

“You know. You were a beta tester too.” Syfo-Dias said, pushing the potion away.

Obi-Wan stared at Syfo-Dias in grief and horror. “You were after the last attack bonus. The rare item.”

“Please.” Syfo-Dias gripped Obi-Wan's wrist. “You have to defeat the boss. For everyone here.” And with that, Syfo-Dias exploded into pixels.

Syfo-Dias never abandoned the other players, and Obi-Wan felt struck with a moment of self hatred. Since the game started, all he thought about was himself, but Syfo-Dias brought so many players together, lead them, and fought brilliantly. With a newfound determination, Obi-Wan stood and gripped his own blade tighter, Kai'jiin stepping next to him. “I'll fight with you.”

Obi-Wan looked at the hooded man and nodded before they started running at the boss. “We'll hit him just like we did the minions.” Obi-Wan said, noting Kai'jiin's nod in his peripheral vision.

The attack mostly worked, until the boss brought it's blade down toward Obi-Wan. Moving just enough out of the way, Obi-Wan managed the attack, but too soon the boss was coming back. Kai'jiin parried the blade himself until he was hit and tossed back into Obi-Wan, the pair rolling gracelessly across the floor. The boss came in for his final blow, and Obi-Wan was ready, but found no need as Chewbacca leapt over them, parrying the blade with his axe. Behind him were the rest of the parties. “We can hold him off until your health is back up.” Chewbacca looked back at them both, a grin on his face as the pair nodded at him.

The boss managed to leap into the air preparing for a final attack. One that Obi-Wan recognized. “Stay down!” He yelled, leaping over Kai'jiin, who's cape was destroyed in the hit he took, and using a sword skill. Slicing the boss in the air, it crashed back to the ground. “Kai'jiin! Help me beat him, one last attack!”

Kai'jiin stood determined, long dark hair spilling over his shoulders before they ran toward the boss. One last parry attack switch and Obi-Wan was slicing across the boss with a cry before it exploded into pixels.

**[CONGRATULATIONS!]**

The cheers filled the boss room as the surviving parties checked their loot, but Obi-Wan sat slumped over on the floor, panting. “Not bad.” A deep voice sounded from behind him, making Obi-Wan look back to where Kai'jiin and Chewbacca stood.

“That was some nice swordsmanship.” Chewbacca said, arms crossed and smiling. “Today's victory is all thanks to you.”

“No.” Obi-Wan said, trying to ignore the way the raid group cheered.

“Stop cheering!” Bruck yelled, making the boss room fall silent. “Why did you do it? Why did you let Syfo-Dias die?”

“Let him die?” Obi-Wan echoed, more in disbelief than anything. Then again... Bruck was right. He didn't give Syfo-Dias the potion. Even though he was pushed away he still should have saved him. He could have saved him.

“That's what I said! You knew the technique the Boss was going to use! You could have warned us! Then Syfo-Dias could have stood a chance. He wouldn't have had to die!”

“He was a beta tester! He knew the boss' attack patterns!” One of the players yelled. “He knew but he kept it from us! I bet he's not the only one here. Show yourselves beta testers!”

Obi-Wan watched as the raid group began whispering and looking around at each other. At this rate, they would start turning on each other... Looking back to the Final Attack Bonus, Obi-Wan made his choice. Unite them all against a common enemy so he could keep his promise to Syfo-Dias... A common enemy being himself. “So you think I used to be a beta tester?” Obi-Wan asked, standing. “Don't put me in the same class as them.”

“What?” One of the players practically whispered in shock.

“Most of the two-thousand beta testers were so green they didn't even know how to level up. Shit. Even you guys are better than they were.” Obi-Wan continued, walking through the raid group toward Bruck. “During the beta I got to levels no one else had even seen yet. Yes, I knew about the boss because I fought monsters with better sword skills on higher floors.” Obi-Wan locked steel blue eyes on Bruck and rest his hands on his hips. “I know more than any info broker.”

“If that's true, you're worse than a beta tester, you're a sith-damn cheater!” Bruck yelled, glaring daggers into Obi-Wan. “Beta-cheater... beater!” Bruck butchered words together in his rage, rage that only grew with Obi-Wan's shrug.

“Just don't confuse me with those beta testers.” He said, activating his Final Attack Bonus, a long brown cloak that went well with his black leggings and beige tunic. With a single look to Bruck, Obi-Wan started walking toward the entrance to the second floor.

“Wait.” Kai'jiin's deep voice caused Obi-Wan to pause on the stairs. Something about the commanding tone of the man's voice scared Obi-Wan with how he automatically knew he would follow whatever he was told by this man. “Do you plan on staying a solo player? You're experienced enough in these games to know there is only so much a solo player can do.”

Obi-Wan took a deep breath at that, looking at the doors ahead of him. “That's exactly what I plan to do.”

Pale blue eyes narrowed as the stared at the back of that dark brown cloak. “Take care of yourself, Kenobi.” He said, watching as Obi-Wan resumed walking toward the doors as they opened before him.

 

 


	3. Silent Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan joins a Guild named The Young, but by Christmas, everything changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN SWORD ART ONLINE EPISODE THREE THERE IS TALK OF SUICIDE AND A SUICIDE THAT DOES OCCUR. THIS DOES HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER AS WELL. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

 

“Here's to us! Cheers!” The echo of “Cheers!” and clinking glasses left Obi-Wan blinking and smiling awkwardly. So much for staying solo. “And here's to the guy who saved our lives! To Kenobi!”

The echo of the last statement had Obi-Wan practically sinking in his seat. “Cheers?”

“No, but really, thank you for saving us back there.” Nield said, smiling widely to Obi-Wan. He was the leader of the guild. The Young they had called it.

The girl, Cerasi spoke up, voice still shaking. “I have to admit, I was pretty scared back there, so I do have to thank you for saving us it... thank you.” She said, looking away from him, her face burning red. While she was admittedly one of the least talented players in the guild, there was one thing Cerasi had above everything else. Pride. Whether it was from the teasing of her friends, the game, or just her natural disposition, Obi-Wan couldn't tell.

“Um, Kenobi? I hope you don't mind me asking this but... I was wondering what level you're at?” Another member asked, smiling awkwardly. The guild couldn't have been out of high school they were all so young, and the look he was receiving almost broke him.

“Level twenty.” Kenobi lied, droning out the boy's reaction as he focused on his own level bar. Fourty. He was level fourty. But if he told them the truth? What then? They might loose hope...

Da'an continued to talk excitedly. “You're our level and you're still a solo player? That's so cool!”

Kenobi let out a sigh. “Da'an, being a solo player means I'm always hunting and not really getting anywhere. It's not very efficient.”

Da'an's face grew hot as he looked down. “Oh... okay. Well, I hate to spring this on you but Nield and I were talking and... we'd love for you to join our Guild. Neild's the only one we can put out front right now and while Cerasi is getting better- enough for us to think about it, we were thinking of switching her to sword and shield. If you join us you can teach her a thing or two?”

“Oh come on.” Cerasi practically snapped, crossing her arms. “I'm not that useless. Seriously, you can't just put me up front and expect me to know what to do, I've never _done_ it before.”

“Oh just hide behind your shield.” Kibum teased, taking a drink from his cup as the other members laughed.

“We all go to the same high school in real life.” Neild explained to Kenobi, a smile on his face. “So this is pretty much how it always is with us. Don't worry about fitting in, even though you're clearly older than us we already consider you part of the group.”

Obi-Wan looked down to the table for a moment, frown forming on his lips. Could he? Could he protect these people? Could he help make them stronger and survive? “I... I guess I'll do it.” He said, looking up to them and smiling. “Glad to join you.”

The group erupted into excited welcomes that Obi-Wan didn't fully hear. It had been only a few months since the incident with the boss, and he had been progressing well enough solo. Most people just left him alone, and very few people seemed to know about the incident, especially with how well players were progressing through the floors now. But it still weighed heavily on him. Now, though? Now he had a new goal. To protect these kids. Keep them alive. Keep them together. Keep them hoping.

 

 

The bug-monster was honestly not all that strong, the perfect test for Cerasi on the front line, though. Despite her pride and determination, the fear was clear in her form. Sweat had her dark hair clinging to her face, after all it was the third monster they fought in the last hour just trying to train. “Ceraci, step back for now, you're doing well.” Obi-Wan said, running to stand in front of her, his blade drawn. It was easy for him to slice the arm from the monster, but that didn't keep it from attacking. “Kibum, switch out.”

“On it!” Kibum jumped in, his hammer crashing into the torso of the mantis and grinning as it exploded into pixels.

[CONGRATULATIONS]

[LV UP! Kibum]

[22 > 23]

 

 

“So, an Assault Team made it through floor 28...” Obi-Wan read from the newsfeed, legs crossed in lotus and face relaxed in thought.

Next to him, Neild frowned, working his way through a ration bar. “What does the Assault Team have that we don't?”

“Well...” Obi-Wan thought. “Mostly access to information. They know the easiest ways to get EXP and they don't share that information.” He said, picking up a ration bar and taking a bite of it.

Nield frowned and sat up, hair sticking in every direction, a few blades of grass caught in the light strands. “Yeah, that's probably true. But I bet what really sets them apart is willpower.”

“Willpower?” Obi-Wan echoed with a raised brow.

“Well, what I mean is they have the drive to stick up for each other, and other players. Not everyone has that. I like to think that we have that same drive, even though we still need their protection from time to time.” Nield said, crossing his legs and looking to Obi-Wan with a grin. “That being said, right now I know our priority is looking out for each other, but once we get strong enough? We're going to join the Assault Team too.”

“I see.” Obi-Wan said, a smile forming on his lips. “That's an admirable goal.”

“W-Well...” Nield stuttered, face suddenly red as he looked away from Obi-Wan, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Hey, wise leader....” Da'an called, hopping down from a small hill and tackling Nield, putting him into a headlock.

“Do you really think we could be as strong as the Republic or the Jedi?” Kibum teased, putting his hands on his hips.

Nield tried to struggle his way from Da'an's grip, frowning. “What if I do? No shame in setting our sights high! But we have to be level thirty first!”

Obi-Wan's smile faded as he focused again on his Level bar... 48. Maybe... maybe he was putting them at risk by not telling them...

 

“Alright, everyone! I have an announcement!” Nield said, grinning in one of the hotel rooms the guild was using for the night. “After our last hunt we've saved 200,000 Credits!” The sound of delighted cursing filled the small room, Cerasi looking back to Kibum with a grin. She had a mouth on her that almost rivaled Obi-Wan's swearing.

“Wow, saving up for a house of our own doesn't sound like such a pipe-dream anymore.” Kibum teased.

“Or we could update Cerasi's equipment.” Macki, the quietest member of the group spoke up. Obi-Wan was sure he could count the amount of times Macki spoke on one hand.

Nield hummed in thought. “Now that actually is a good idea.”

“No. I'm fine with what I have.” Cerasi spoke up, lounging back on the bed, relaxed.

“Oh come on, it's not fair to have Kenobi out in front forever.” Da'an mentioned, leaning over Macki's shoulders and smirking at Cerasi.

Cerasi sat up and frowned, her arms crossing. “He's not out there alone or anything. I am getting stronger.”

“She is right. I don't mind being Vanguard, and she is getting stronger. It won't be much longer until you're able to be Vanguard too.” Obi-Wan said, smiling to Cerasi, who's face went red and glared over to Nield.

Neild only let out a chuckle and nodded. “He's right. I know switching jobs is hard, but you're very close to doing it.”

Cerasi just nodded, a frown on her lips, cheeks stained red.

 

 

It wasn't rare for Obi-Wan to go out for late night missions. In fact, he did it more often than not. Something about the solitude gave him a steady chance to think. The last thing he expected was to see a guild in the Wolf Plains. That, or to recognize one of them. “Garen?” He whispered to himself, watching as they defeated a wolf. Six months into the game and... well Garen looked good.

Running a hand through his short hair, Garen looked up, spotting the brown and beige figure on the hill. “Kenobi!?” He exclaimed, looking back to his guild. “Trash mop's all yours guys!” He said, not even listening to their answers as he ran up the hill. “You're okay! I almost thought... because I hadn't seen you in a while... wait... Did... Did you join a guild?”

“I guess you could say that.” Obi-Wan said, crossing his arms, hands in the sleeves of his cloak.

“It's all clear! We can keep going!” A member of Garen's guild yelled, making Garen turn.

Obi-Wan nodded to Garen before walking past him. “I'll see you again, Garen.” He said, though Garen frowned as he watched him go. While he was glad that Kenobi was still alive, he had heard about the floor one boss. Heard about what Kenobi said. He wasn't sure why Kenobi said what he did, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that his friend couldn't actually be a cheating beta tester. But he could see that there was something still bothering him. He just hoped it wouldn't haunt him too much longer.

 

Obi-Wan had just teleported back to the lower floor when his message notification lit up.

[MESSAGE]

[Cerasi has gone off somewhere, we're heading to the dungeon area now, please let me know if you find out where she is. [Nield]]

With a small sigh, Obi-Wan activated his enemy tracking vision, the world falling into shades of green. Targeting Cerasi's signature, Obi-Wan scanned the area until he spotted her foot prints. Street by street, alley then bridge, Obi-Wan tracked her to a tunnel in the safe-zone, the river flowing by the walkway. “Cerasi!” He called out, spotting her sitting next to the water.

“Kenobi?” She startled, looking up to him quickly.

Obi-Wan let himself relax slightly, taking a few steps toward the girl. “Everyone's worried about you.” He said, watching her draw her knees up to her chest. Ah. So it was like this. Sitting a few feet from her, Obi-Wan waited until she spoke.

“Kenobi... we should... run away.”

“Run away? From what?” Obi-Wan looked carefully to Cerasi. He had known she was scared. Beneath the prideful face, she was terrified. Terrified of dying, of loosing everything she cared about- everyone she cared about. He knew that fear all too well.

“From this town. From the monsters. From The Young. From Saber Art Online...”

“Wait.” Obi-Wan almost snapped. “Are you talking about suicide?”

Cerasi was silent for a moment before speaking again. “That's... not such a bad idea.” Obi-Wan felt his very core grow cold. Suicide? Cerasi? Could she really be thinking about that? How many people... how many players locked in this hell-game already took their own life just to have the control of their fate? “No. That's a lie. If I had the courage to die I wouldn't be hiding in town where it's safe. But... but why can't we just leave? Why do we have to die when it's just this stupid game? What's the point of even going through this!?”

Obi-Wan sighed, looking down. “There is no point.”

Silence fell over them again, only the sound of water echoing against stone. “I'm... I'm afraid of dying.” She admitted. Obi-Wan had to close his eyes for a moment to steady himself. “It's so bad I-I can't sleep anymore...”

“You're not going to die.” Obi-Wan spoke up, a firmness in his voice he wasn't even familiar with.

“H-How can you say that!? How can you be so sure!?” Cerasi snapped, voice echoing back at her, shrill and scared.

“The Young are strong as a Guild. Our margin of safety is above the norm. That, and with Kibum and I at the front you don't need to vanguard with us.” Obi-Wan said, smiling over to her. “You're not going to die. We'll clear this game and get home.”

Cerasi looked to him, lips trembling as she finally managed a smile, tears streaming down her face. “Yeah.”

 

"I'll be back in a few hours." Nield said, grinning and activating the teleport to the Town of Beginnings. It's only been a week, but The Young found a house already, a perfect base for the small guild, and Nield was going down to buy it.

Macki let out a small laugh as Nield disappeared and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm actually this excited about buying a house."

"You sound like an old man." Kibum teased, nudging Macki. "Come on, while he's out buying the house we should go make some extra cash! Let's hit one of the higher dungeons!"

"I think we should stick to our usual hunting grounds." Obi-Wan said, crossing his arms and frowning. Nield tended to be Vanguard, without him the Guild was much weaker, and no mater what he said to Cerasi a week ago, he wasn't as confident about them when one of their key members was missing.

Da'an let out a small groan but smiled. "Come on, we can make more and faster in the higher dungeons. We can do it."

As a last ditch effort, Obi-Wan looked over to Cerasi, who only smiled at him. "Let's do it, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Only up to level twenty-six, okay?" He said, crossing his arms and giving them what Da'an had labeled his "Dad Frown"

"Yes'sir!"

 

"What did I tell you!?" Kibum said with a large grin, turned to Kenobi. "We're on a roll up here!"

"Look!" Da'an ran forward to a shine on the wall, pressing it. A door opened, revealing a small room with a chest in the center. "A treasure chest!"

Obi-Wan's eyes widened as the guild ran into the room. "No! Stop it's a trap!" But as soon as he took a step after them, the room turned red and the door closed. Kibum and Da'an were kneeling over an open and empty chest, looking at each other in horror. "We need to get out of here!"

"The crystals aren't working!" Cerasi yelled, looking at her teleport crystal, blue eyes wide, hands shaking as monsters began spawning in the room.

Macki grabbed his axe and immediately started attacking the monsters, and while he got two down, was quickly overwhelmed just by the quantity of them. The sound of screaming and exploding pixels filled Obi-Wan's ears, making him grip the hilt of his own blade tightly. He fought with anger, with fear, with the instinct to protect that he never knew he had as he heard Da'an and Kibum fall. Finally spotting Cerasi, cornered but fighting off the monsters with her staff, Obi-Wan started running to her. "Cerasi!" He tried to call out in warning, but it only served to distract her more. Trying to reach out to him, she was hit in the back and began to fall, lips moving in words that didn't reach Obi-Wan's ears.

With a cry, Obi-Wan continued to attack until he cleared the room, sweat and tears dripping from his face. He lost them. He couldn't protect them. He killed them.

 

"Y-You're a cheating beta-tester..." The way Nield's voice cracked made Obi-Wan hate himself even more. "You had no right to be with us! You... you..."

Before Obi-Wan could stop him, Nield was climbing onto the banister and falling off the edge of Coruscant.

 

The transition was hard. His guild- his friends, dead. Nield committing suicide just to join them had almost broken him. That was, until he heard a rumor from one of the info-brokers. She was without a doubt his favorite when it came to information. She was prompt, reasonable, and would even join him for a drink every once in a while. A rare Christmas based item that wasn't in the Beta, only achieved after beating a likely horrific version of a loved Holiday character. The item was supposed to be able to bring someone back from the dead.

Sitting in his hotel room, the snow falling to the ground outside the window, Obi-Wan changed his equipment. A wool cloak, full fingered gloves, steadier boots, a higher level sword, all easy choices as his mind wandered. He knew his chances going in solo. If he died? Obi-Wan found he didn't really care about that possibility. All he could think about was bringing Cerasi back. He needed her to be alive again. He needed to keep her safe, even if he already failed once. He needed to know what her last words were... and if it were that she was cursing him, then so be it.

 

The snow crunched under his boots as he walked, seeing the fir tree standing distant beyond yet another invisible doorway. All the fire and determination remained lit in his chest. He knew what he needed to do, and fully intended on doing it. If he couldn't manage? Then he deserved to die. The sound of a teleport caused Obi-Wan to pause. "Kenobi."

Obi-Wan had to close his eyes for a moment to let the voice wash over him. Why was it that Garen only ever appeared when it was most inconvenient for him? Or maybe just when it was most personal. "You were following me?" He asked, not turning to Garen. He couldn't face him here. Not like this.

"Of course! Once I heard about this item I knew you would go after it, but you can't do it solo. It's suicide!" Garen yelled, hands clenched into fists.

"I will do what I have to." Obi-Wan said, finally turning to Garen and pulling out his sword.

Garen calmed his Guild with a simple movement of his hands before taking a deep breath. "You can't do this one alone and you know it. Come on, join us. We can-"

The sound of a mass teleport cut off Garen as he spoke, drawing their full attention to the large guild that appeared. "The Republic, huh?" A member of Garen's guild spoke up. "They'll do anything for a rare item."

"Go, Kenobi." Garen said, glancing back to Obi-Wan with a tight expression. "We'll keep them busy. Just don't you dare die."

Obi-Wan looked between Garen and the Republic group before nodding and heading toward the doorway without a word.

As the clock struck the moment Obi-Wan realized that he had been right. It was a horrifying version of a beloved Holiday character. Who even came up with a blue skinned Santa Clause that was twelve foot tall and wields and axe? Who decides these things? Who would ever even think of that? Grippig his sword tighter, Obi-Wan looked up at the monster and took a deep breath, trying to find the balance between rage and serenity that might just get him out of this alive.

 

Garen leaned against a member of the Republic Guild, panting. They fought until they knew their chance had passed before finally surrendering to the realization that the fight was useless. "You fought well." The Republic member said, slowly standing. "I hope you see you again some time." He continued with a smile and a nod that Garen returned politely as the Republic Guild teleported away.

The sound of snow under boot drew Garen's eyes to Kenobi, the man's brown hood up to block out the wind as he walked toward them. "Kenobi! You did it!" Garen cried out, a grin on his face.

"Here." Obi-Wan said, tossing the blue sphere to Garen who caught it, looking up to him perplexed.

Looking back to the sphere, Garen selected it. "Okay then, let's see. Can be used to revive player... within ten seconds?" He read, looking up to Obi-Wan with large, sad eyes. Oh.

"If you ever see someone die in front of you, use that." And with that, Obi-Wan started to walk away, even as Garen fumbled to his feet.

Running after Obi-Wan, Garen managed to grip his cloak, making him stop. "You stay alive, you hear me?" Obi-Wan glanced back to Garen when the dark haired man spoke, seeing the tears that started to fall down his face. "I don't care how you do it, you stay alive." Garen continued, letting go of Obi-Wan's cloak to grip his gloved hand. "Please..."

With a soft squeeze to Garen's hand, Obi-Wan looked away from his friend before letting go and walking away. He could hear Garen fall to his knees behind him, but he did not look back. He couldn't risk loosing Garen like he lost Cerasi. Like he lost The Young.

 

Back in his hotel room, Obi-Wan sat at the small desk, staring blankly out the window, basking in his grief. A year ago he wouldn't have thought he could just bask in grief. He never even thought about it. All he thought about was his University classes, keeping Anakin from stealing his things, and if he had time to get online. Now he had lost everything. His family, his friends dying before his eyes. And he couldn't save them. The sound of beeping brought Obi-Wan from his thoughts, seeing the Gift Box notification popping up in his line of vision.

[GIFT BOX: from: CERASI]

"Cerasi..?" Obi-Wan practically choked on her name before a shaking hand select it and caught the small container that fell into his hand. Pressing the softly flashing button, Obi-Wan took a steadying breath as Cerasi's voice filled his ears.

"Merry Christmas, Kenobi. By the time you hear this I'm guessing I'll be dead. How can I explain this... To tell you the truth I never wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings, but I knew if I fought with an attitude like that I'd end up dying one day. That's not anyone's fault, that's something I have to deal with. It's my problem. Kenobi, since that night you found me, you kept telling me that I wasn't doing to die, and I know that if I get killed you would blame yourself. That's why I recorded this for you. Oh. And I know how powerful you are. Remember that night when I couldn't sleep, and you let me stay in your room? Well. I peaked while you weren't looking. I didn't know why you decided not t tell us, hell, I still don't know why. But I'm glad you decided to stay and fight with us anyway. Seeing your level, it made me feel relieved. Even if I die, you need to promise me you'll go on living. Stay alive and see the end of this world. Find out why it was created. Find out why someone as weak as me ended up here. Find out the reason why you and I met. Oh. Seems like I still have time on here. Well, because it's Christmas and all when you get this, I'll sing you a song." The sound of Cerasi's humming replaced her voice. It didn't take long for Obi-Wan to recognize the song. Silent Night. What a choice. Through his tears, Obi-Wan wondered if Cerasi realized how bad of a choice of song that was. "Anyway, Kenobi. I'm glad I met you. I actually am. Thank you. Goodbye."

Suddenly, Obi-Wan could see it. He could see the way Cerasi's pale lips moved when she spoke her last words.

"Thank you. Goodbye."

 

 


End file.
